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5 gallon Aquarium

What if...? said:
Dude!

My dads family from Texas killed any moccasins they found in their fishing holes.

One day they found that a pair had moved into the lake a couple blocks from my grandparents house.

They tried to use the lure my dad had that snakes always hit for some reason. But they kept getting off and becoming more aggressive. They were throwing rocks at them, etc.

My mom took us home as it escalated.

The last I saw both snakes were charging across the lake towards my dad and uncle, heads six inches out of the water.

They came home unscathed, no more snakes.

But moccasins can be aggressive. The most aggressive of north American venomous snakes if I'm not mistaken.
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There are only a handful of territorial snakes, and moccasins are somewhat according to some definitions. But they're not gonna come back and get you. They have a life.
 
Grand Mal said:
If I remember, the critical temperature for steel happens about 2,000 F, when it suddenly becomes non-magnetic for some metalurgical reason. I don't think straight propane would get you there, but I'd have to look into it.
Actually, I don't see me doing forge welding anyway, not for awhile. Red heat is enough for my purposes. I'm kind of looking forward to firing up the charcoal forge, though, and getting the feel of how it used to be. Time was, charcoal was the fuel of choice for a couple reasons, though coal is definitely the hottest and most efficient.
From what I've read anyway.
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When fossil hunting, I often find large chunks of coal in the river. My guess is they were using steam powered equipment when the mined phosphate here shortly after the civil war. I make ant mound castings in lead, I stoke a hot fire and use a cast iron pot as a crucible with a clamp. 6-8 pounds of lead melts in about 10 minutes. Melts at 620F, easy peesy!
 
What if...? said:
I've had two aquaponics tanks. Planters on top.

The oxygenation and filtration is amazing.

I had seven small animals in a three and a half gallon tank at one point. For a long time. Clear water, healthy fish. Biology took care of everything except occasionally cleaning up what the bacteria couldn't eat out of the gravel.

Its funny that every successful aquarist is really a bacteria farmer!
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Most excellent, and yes, most funny too!
 
ecofarm said:
There are only a handful of territorial snakes, and moccasins are somewhat according to some definitions. But they're not gonna come back and get you. They have a life.
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The ones I have encountered either stand their ground or leave slowly. When it was feeding time, I put a rat in the tank, the strike was so quick, you would not think it got it's fangs in, the rat would do a couple circles and stone dead. The snake waited a few minutes then ate. I only had it as long as it took my Canadian step dad figure out what is was.

"what kind of snake you got out in the shed, eh?" *me* a banded water snake. "well it sure looks mean" He found a field guide in my room, lol.
 
What if...? said:
Its funny that every successful aquarist is really a bacteria farmer!
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As are agriculturalists, at least organic ones. An ecosystem is all about soil.
 
What if...? said:
Never saw anything like a grudge. No "vengeance" or sneaking up on you the next time they see you or anything.

But they will get pissed and come at you rather than run away.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...gQt9IBCHQwFg&usg=AOvVaw2OlUwTRoQE1nEyIjC5MLmh

Like this!
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Probably trying to get to a nest under the dock. Not exactly territorial. Alligators will defend a nest, but they're not really territorial either. Territorial is males defending territory, and not just from other males during mating season.

I suspect a moccasin chased off to the other side of a lake would remain there. This could happen more than once with different snakes.

Black Racers are territorial, they'll chase people. It's funny, they're harmless.
 
ecofarm said:
As are agriculturalists, at least organic ones. An ecosystem is all about soil.
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Its funny but I was REALLY into aquariums as a kid. Did lots of research and the biological component wasn't on my radar somehow. Early seventies.

I did notice that cleaning an aquarium TOO well sometimes caused die offs in populations that had long been healthy. Don't remember making the connection back then.
 
What if...? said:
Its funny but I was REALLY into aquariums as a kid. Did lots of research and the biological component wasn't on my radar somehow. Early seventies.

I did notice that cleaning an aquarium TOO well sometimes caused die offs in populations that had long been healthy. Don't remember making the connection back then.
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Organic farmers grow soil, plants are a byproduct.
 
ecofarm said:
Probably trying to get to a nest under the dock. Not exactly territorial. Alligators will defend a nest, but they're not really territorial either. Territorial is males defending territory, and not just from other males during mating season.

I suspect a moccasin chased off to the other side of a lake would remain there. This could happen more than once with different snakes.
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I saw this kind of behavior quite a few times. And it was always in response to provocation by my dads family.

My dad had a lure that they would hit for some reason. But most of the time they would get off the hook. But it made them aware he was responsible and you'd see the kind of behavior in the video. Head out of the water moving toward.
 
What if...? said:
I saw this kind of behavior quite a few times. And it was always in response to provocation by my dads family.

My dad had a lure that they would hit for some reason. But most of the time they would get off the hook. But it made them aware he was responsible and you'd see the kind of behavior in the video. Head out of the water moving toward.
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A documentary would be interesting, but production might be animal cruelty. Would have to document occurring events, not create them. I wonder what species or types will react so.
 
Slingshot Bob said:
When fossil hunting, I often find large chunks of coal in the river. My guess is they were using steam powered equipment when the mined phosphate here shortly after the civil war. I make ant mound castings in lead, I stoke a hot fire and use a cast iron pot as a crucible with a clamp. 6-8 pounds of lead melts in about 10 minutes. Melts at 620F, easy peesy!
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Yeah, lead's easy. I could probably get a drop off a strip of solder with a Bic lighter.
You cast lead outside, I hope. Too much lead in your system takes the lead outa your pencil, knowwhatImean?
I might be able to source coal here, if I handle it right. The limestone quarry on this island has a deep-water dock. The coal mine across the Gulf of Georgia on Vancouver Island is on shallow water, so they barge the stuff over here and stockpile it until it gets loaded out on a ship. I might be able to talk my way into getting it by the sackful. No more, probably, because the limestone company doesn't own it, they're just handling it for a customer.
 
ecofarm said:
A documentary would be interesting, but production might be animal cruelty. Would have to document occurring events, not create them. I wonder what species or types will react so.
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I did some looking and they are known to stand their ground/attack when provoked.

Which my dads family was definitely doing.

So its probably as simple as that.
 
Grand Mal said:
Yeah, lead's easy. I could probably get a drop off a strip of solder with a Bic lighter.
You cast lead outside, I hope. Too much lead in your system takes the lead outa your pencil, knowwhatImean?
I might be able to source coal here, if I handle it right. The limestone quarry on this island has a deep-water dock. The coal mine across the Gulf of Georgia on Vancouver Island is on shallow water, so they barge the stuff over here and stockpile it until it gets loaded out on a ship. I might be able to talk my way into getting it by the sackful. No more, probably, because the limestone company doesn't own it, they're just handling it for a customer.
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Absolutely outside! I stoke the fire as close to the ant mound as possible, so I don't have to carry the crucible and molten lead any further than necessary and I carry it right above the ground so if it drops, it wontr splatter as much. 6 pounds of molten lead would be nasty!
 
Slingshot Bob said:
I was looking into making a propane fired furnace with a crucible for metal castings. I saw some good plans on the web, oxygen was not needed IIRC. Should be plenty hot enough, I would think. But then again, I was looking into aluminum casting.
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Reading this while watching Forged in Fire is kinda awesome.
 
Made me a fish trap from a big (gallon) plastic jar, two inverted funnels were hot glued in, the trap is baited many small holes leave a scent trail. Basic idea is the fish (craw dads, etc) swim in the funnels, and cant figure out how to get back out. Bait the trap, drink a few beers and check it out.

Most go right back in, I am only interested in unique and interest specimens for my tank.

Pretty sure my dominant pair of fish, are invasive cichlids.

Still hunting for a crawdad and baby catfish. My tank is very interesting.
 
I had a fish tank MANY years ago when my kids were small,, we went out and caught a couple bluegill fish and a couple crawdads.. Fed the fish frozen corn ( thawed of course). Fed the crawdads small chucks of bologna.

They were a hoot to watch..

djl
 
I suspected the fish I trapped were cichlids, so I googled "pics of cichlids" and found my fish, it is an African jewel cichlid. Fl is awash in invasive species, the creek and river are full of these guys. C54D6E6D-E119-4A29-8FA5-D42203BF79DE.jpg
 
I almost netted the red one! Damnit, just missed it! I WANT that crafty sucker. x_7e3fbef9.jpg I have a male/female pair of native mollies, the male looks like the one pictured, there are males that are far more colorful that I am trying to net. They wont go in my fish trap.th.jpg
 
Putting my new fish trap together, just need to burn a series of small holes to let the bait trail flow. I put a 2 pound lead weight in the bottom and bait it with dry cat food.



Finally caught a big (3 inches) male sail fin molly. They wont go in my trap, I chased his ass around a creek for 10 minutes and finally cornered him and got him in a small net. He looks similar to this one.

My smaller male left the tank when he came home as he was harassing him, then the female started in on him, she and the fin eating cichlid left the tank. 5 gallons is small for him, I am looking at getting a 30 gallon soon. Maybe if I add cichlids in the larger tank, they will leave him alone? The cichlid left the smaller molly alone but immediately went after this guy, out you go! I can get 8-12 cichlids in my trap all the live long day but I have been chasing nice specimand of male mollies in that creek with a net for a week, crafty little suckers!WIN_20180426_20_36_11_Pro.jpgth.jpg
 
Slingshot Bob said:
Wanted a fish tank, for Mrs Slingshot (OK, me too)

Thought on it a few days and went to Wal Mart and got the 5 gallon. A good set up. 30$ gets you a tank, lights and lid and filter.

After you buy all the extras (gravel, decorations, pump, airstones, splitters and line, extra filters) it was 65$.

We would need to drive (get a ride) 40 miles to buy fish.

I went 6 blocks to the river with a minnow net, got 8 minnows one is a "dairy cow". Have 6 grass shrimp (they are freshwater and don't grow bigger than one inch, great garbagemen)

Also have a "flounder". They grow as big as a silver dollar but are freshwater fish. (eyes on top, sideways mouth) Looks like a flying carpet when it leaves the bottom.

I could watch it for hours, a tank is mesmerizing.
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I used to have a few 55 gallon tanks, one was salt water, the other had pair of big tiger oscars.

More water the better it is for the fish. I'd like do to a reef tank at some point in the future, the tech for raising inverts has grown exponentially.

I have a small koi pond out back, 2 koi, and lots of mosquito eating fish, and some nice lillies that grow out of it.
 
beefheart said:
I used to have a few 55 gallon tanks, one was salt water, the other had pair of big tiger oscars.

More water the better it is for the fish. I'd like do to a reef tank at some point in the future, the tech for raising inverts has grown exponentially.

I have a small koi pond out back, 2 koi, and lots of mosquito eating fish, and some nice lillies that grow out of it.
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Looking at getting a 30 gallon, the mollies really benefit from lots of water, plus the water quality is much easier to maintain in a larger tank. This hobby grows expensive, I don't even want to think of the expense of a saltwater tank, lol.

I think I will run a sponge filter in addition to the standard charcoal filter. What do you think is the best and cheapest filter? Think running both types will be good?
 
Slingshot Bob said:
Looking at getting a 30 gallon, the mollies really benefit from lots of water, plus the water quality is much easier to maintain in a larger tank. This hobby grows expensive, I don't even want to think of the expense of a saltwater tank, lol.

I think I will run a sponge filter in addition to the standard charcoal filter. What do you think is the best and cheapest filter? Think running both types will be good?
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Yeah, for salt water, you really have to build up an anerobic bacteria colony that turns nitrites into nitrates...etc. Nowadays, lots of salt tanks have a separate tank that has live rock which does a lot of biological remediation. And now, much of the salt water fish you buy have been bred in aquariums versus wild caught, so they do much better.

For fresh water, get a filter that hangs on the side and uses charcoal and some type of ceramic media. Change charcoal from time to time, but keep the ceramic, that is where the bacteria lives.
 
beefheart said:
Yeah, for salt water, you really have to build up an anerobic bacteria colony that turns nitrites into nitrates...etc. Nowadays, lots of salt tanks have a separate tank that has live rock which does a lot of biological remediation. And now, much of the salt water fish you buy have been bred in aquariums versus wild caught, so they do much better.

For fresh water, get a filter that hangs on the side and uses charcoal and some type of ceramic media. Change charcoal from time to time, but keep the ceramic, that is where the bacteria lives.
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Two stage filtrarion? Sponge filter with some kind of ceramic? I am guessing activated charcoal would be good? I have been watching lots of videos tonight on DIY filtration, they really do rival the best systems and free up $ for other things, like larger tanks! When I get my 20-30 gallon, I will use my hang on the back 5 gallon, in conjunction with a high volume 2 stage filter.

LOL, I am a cheap skate on a budget, worse case scenario I kill my fish, I ride 6 blocks to the river and restock though I don't think I will kill them.

Instead of an industrial looking sponge anchored to tile, how about a real sea sponge anchored to natural slate?
 
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